Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Sanctuary City Initiative Divides Liberal Tucson, Arizona
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
November 4, 2019

Share

Tucson is widely credited as the birthplace of the 1980s Sanctuary Movement, an effort by churches to help refugees from Central America and shield them from deportation.
Now, as President Donald Trump’s immigration policies put renewed focus on the treatment of people who come to the United States without authorization, the progressive southern Arizona city is again grappling with what it means to be a city welcoming of immigrants.

“We can make sure that our city is more equitable. That our city sends the message to our own residents that they’re safe, that they’re valued, that they’re not indispensable to us, that we are willing to fight for them.” — Zaira Livier, executive director of People’s Defense Initiative
Voters are deciding whether to designate Tucson as Arizona’s only sanctuary city, a direct challenge to Trump and to an anti-illegal immigration law that put a global spotlight on the state nearly a decade ago. The vote Tuesday is dividing progressives in a city where many are eager to send Trump a message, but where some worry they will merely draw the ire of the president and his allies in the state Legislature.
The initiative, known as Proposition 205, was started by a group of activists looking to give a voice to the city’s sizeable Latino communities.
“We can make sure that our city is more equitable,” said Zaira Livier, executive director of People’s Defense Initiative. “That our city sends the message to our own residents that they’re safe, that they’re valued, that they’re not indispensable to us, that we are willing to fight for them.”
Tucson’s entire city council, all Democrats, is opposed, citing concerns about unintended consequences and the potential for losing millions of dollars in state and federal funding. They fear retaliation from the Trump administration, which has fought aggressively against sanctuary cities and tried to restrict their access to federal grants and would jeopardize the funding Tucson gets from the state.

City Council in 2012 Designated Tucson an ‘Immigrant Welcoming City’

They also worry that it would tie the city’s hands in cooperating with federal law enforcement on matters that have nothing to do with immigration.

“We are all very much opposed to most — or probably all — of the policies of the Trump administration and have done everything we can in our power legally to make it possible to protect all immigrants who come to our community.” — Mayor Jonathan Rothschild
The Tucson City Council in 2012 designated it an “immigrant welcoming city,” expressing support but stopping short of calling it a sanctuary city. Tucson Police Department policies already limit when and where officers can ask about immigration status.
“We are all very much opposed to most — or probably all — of the policies of the Trump administration and have done everything we can in our power legally to make it possible to protect all immigrants who come to our community,” Mayor Jonathan Rothschild said of the seven-member city council.
“You can’t change federal or state law at the city level.”
The initiative takes aim at SB1070, the 2010 immigration law that prohibits sanctuary cities in Arizona and requires police, when enforcing other laws, to verify the immigration status of anyone suspected of being in the country illegally. It prompted widespread protests and a lawsuit by then-President Barack Obama’s Department of Justice. Courts threw out much of the law but upheld the requirement for officers to check immigration papers.
Proposition 205 is a wide-ranging effort to restrict the ways that Tucson police officers interact with immigrants, people suspected of being in the country illegally, immigration authorities and other federal law enforcement officers. It would declare that “it is the policy of the city that the city be a sanctuary and safe refuge for all persons.”

Republican State Lawmakers Threaten to Punish Tucson

The measure would put new restrictions on when and where a person can be asked about their immigration status and require officers to first tell people that they have a right not to answer questions about whether they’re in the country legally. It would limit the factors officers can consider in developing “reasonable suspicion” that a person is in the country illegally, the threshold to trigger a check of immigration status under SB1070.
It also would prohibit the city from working with federal law enforcement agencies unless those agencies agree in writing to forego their right to conduct traffic stops in city limits.
Billy Peard, a lawyer who co-wrote the initiative, said it’s designed to expand what’s allowed under SB1070 and other Arizona laws. He acknowledged that if it passes it’s almost certain to end up in court. He hopes judges will rule that Tucson — and any other cities that want to follow suit — can take an extremely narrow interpretation of their obligations to enforce immigration laws.
A handful of Republican state lawmakers have said they’ll pursue legislation to punish Tucson.
Peard said he’s not worried about the threats. If lawmakers want to revisit the bitter fights that surrounded SB1070 nine years ago, they should have a debate about repealing that law, he said.
“I believe there’s enough Republicans, a newer generation of Republicans in the statehouse who do not want to revisit 2010,” Peard said. “If the legislature is hellbent on revisiting 2010, then let’s revisit 2010. That’s not going to come out too well in the court of public opinion for them.”
[activecampaign form=29]

DON'T MISS

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

DON'T MISS

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

DON'T MISS

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

DON'T MISS

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

DON'T MISS

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

DON'T MISS

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

DON'T MISS

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

DON'T MISS

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

DON'T MISS

Gov. Newsom Said No, but California Voters Overwhelmingly Said Yes

UP NEXT

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

UP NEXT

Travel in the West Bank Is a Tale of Two Journeys

UP NEXT

Chris Wallace Is Leaving CNN, Eager to Explore New Media Landscape

UP NEXT

Aid Groups Say Israel Misses US Deadline to Boost Humanitarian Aid Entering Gaza

UP NEXT

US Regulators Investigating Whether Engines on 1.4 Million Hondas Might Fail

UP NEXT

Israeli Strikes Kill Dozens in Lebanon and Isolated Northern Gaza While Netanyahu and Trump Speak

UP NEXT

When to Catch the Last Supermoon of the Year

UP NEXT

Mattel Says It ‘Deeply’ Regrets Misprint on ‘Wicked’ Dolls Packaging That Links to Porn Site

UP NEXT

Trump to Target Iran’s Oil Trade in Renewed ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign

UP NEXT

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

32 mins ago

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

44 mins ago

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

51 mins ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

2 hours ago

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

3 hours ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

4 hours ago

Gov. Newsom Said No, but California Voters Overwhelmingly Said Yes

4 hours ago

Mike Tyson-Jake Paul: How to Watch the Fight, Time, Odds

5 hours ago

Travel in the West Bank Is a Tale of Two Journeys

5 hours ago

Chris Wallace Is Leaving CNN, Eager to Explore New Media Landscape

5 hours ago

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES – Waymo on Tuesday opened its robotaxi service to anyone who wants a ride around Los Angeles, marking another milestone in...

13 mins ago

13 mins ago

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

A Fresno County man has been indicted on mail fraud charges for allegedly submitting over $300,000 in falsified disability claims using stolen identities. (GV Wire File)
25 mins ago

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

Pete Hegseth walks to an elevator for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York, Dec. 15, 2016. (AP File)
29 mins ago

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

32 mins ago

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

44 mins ago

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

51 mins ago

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

Photo of David Bernhardt
2 hours ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

Nathaniel Lujano, 23, of Tulare, a known gang member was sentenced to life without parole for two 2022 murders, committed to benefit a criminal street gang. (Tulare County DA)
3 hours ago

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

Search

Send this to a friend